Amplifiers don't inspire the same warm, fuzzy feelings that guitars do. Why is that? We like to name our guitars, caress them, take them on vacation with us. If someone picks up our favorite axe without asking us, we get mad. And when that same person makes your guitar cry out in desperate, unnatural, torturous tones you want to go over and loosen their teeth and begin playing their butt with your foot.

     I've noticed that when I watch a guitar player open up his guitar case to remove his prized instrument, it reminds me of a ventriloquist releasing his dummy from it's box-like limbo. Think about it. They're both wooden, human-like objects that can sit on your lap and with a little effort will begin to talk with whatever voice you assign them. And they're even allowed to say things that you wouldn't normally say yourself.

     Amplifiers, on the other hand, have none of these traits. Amplifiers are big, back-breaking boxes that are around because we need them, not because we want them. They are more curse than friend. They're a ball and chain and we're the prisoners unwillingly connected to them for as long as our sentence of musicianship should last. No warm, fuzzy feelings, just a necessary evil required so that you can play music.

     There's an old saying that states, "A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link". I'm sure this saying wasn't created to describe the signal chain flowing from an electric guitar, but it does apply. The best guitar in the world is nothing without being coupled to an equally good amplifier. If you haven't found one yet, here's some tips on how to find the right one.

     How much power do you need? If you only play at home and you live in an apartment with paper-thin walls and neighbors who have the cops number programmed into their speed dial, you don't need a lot of power. Too many musicians think that bigger is better and make the mistake of comparing amplifiers power wattage to the cubic inch size of a hot rod motor. This type of mistake causes people to call me up and ask me to perform power reduction mods to help keep everything under control. When you buy an amp, think about how you are going to use it and consider all the power ratings available to you. They can be broken down as follows:

Practice amps - At around 5 watts this is the right amount of power for someone playing at a reasonable volume at home or for occasional jamming with a friend.

Low power amps - Around 10 to 20 watts. Loud enough to jam with friends, including a drummer, and play small gigs.

Medium power amps - 25 to 60 watts. Probably the most popular size sold. Just the right power for most gigs as it's powerful enough to cut through other instruments, but not so powerful that you have to be afraid to turn the amp up and push it hard, which is usually when the amp sounds it's best.

High power amps - 85 watts on up. These are for people who are playing larger gigs or who need a lot of headroom from their amp to facilitate cleaner tones.

     What have you heard? Most musicians gravitate towards a sound that they heard that knocked them out and which they want to duplicate for themselves. If you like the sweet, stinging sustain of Santana, you'd be looking for an amp in Mesa Boogie territory. If you like the funky, assaulting barrage of tones that Jimi Hendrix got on his Band of Gypsies album, you'd be looking for a Marshall. If you like the thick, bluesy wall of tone that Stevie Ray Vaughan was known for, then you'd be primarily interested in Fender amps. These days it's easier to find out what equipment a musician has used to record their albums. This is due to increasing interest from a more technologically literate public which encourages the major music publications to gather this information and make it available. This is a great place to begin your research.

     What options do you need? Some amps manufacturers give you some great options to improve the versatility of an amplifier. You can have a multi-channel amp which gives you a clean channel and an overdrive channel and usually the ability to switch between the channels via a footswitch. An effects loop can be a great help by allowing you to place your effects between the preamp and power amp section of your amp which can give you increased performance. Do you like the sound of spring reverb? Many amps have on-board reverb units built into the amps. And what about speakers? The type and number of speakers used can also have an affect on overall tone. Amps come in all kinds of speaker configurations - single 10 inch, two 10 inch, four 10 inch, single 12 inch, two 12 inch, etc. Or you may decide you would rather just buy an amp head and plug it into a separate speaker cabinet.

     Should you buy a new or used amp? Obviously there is a certain confidence that comes with a new amp since it hasn't been abused by anyone and if it does develop a problem you have a warranty to protect you. The reason I bring up this issue is because I receive so many calls from musicians who are thinking about buying an old amp, usually a Fender, and are wondering if it is a good deal or a rip-off. This is mostly due to the escalating prices of these amps due to the insane collectors market driving the prices of these amps up and out of the reach of many musicians. In general, I love these old amps. They can sound extremely good and, even if they don't, can usually be made to sound good without having to invest too much. The catch is that if you buy one of these "collectors" amps and actually intend to use it, you will have to replace some parts in it at some point. This can make the value of the amp go down from a collector's viewpoint, even though the tone and functionality of the amp is improved from a player's viewpoint.

     Should you buy tube or solid state? The differences between these two types of amps was actually covered in a previous column. In a nutshell, both amps can sound good clean, but react differently when pushed into distortion. Tube distortion is usually described as warm, full-bodied, and natural sounding. Solid state distortion can take on an artificial and buzzy type of tonality. Some of the heavy metal bands actually prefer this type of distortion. You should try them both out and see what you like best. Of course, if you buy a tube amp you will need to invest in tubes periodically to keep your tone alive.

     Closing Thoughts: There are literally hundreds of differences between amplifiers. If you wanted to dissect each one you could compare preamp designs, differences in power and preamp tubes, types of capacitors and resistors used, point to point wiring vs. printed circuit boards, tube vs solid state rectifier, and so on down to the threading on the chassis bolts and glue used on the tolex. Knowing these things won't necessarily help you find the right amp. As a musician the best sense you have is your hearing. Take your ears and your guitar down to the local music store, or your friend who owns every amp ever made, or make a point of going to the next music expo. As you're playing, don't just listen for the major differences, listen for the subtle ones. This is usually what makes the decision for you. Keep in mind that if you're going to be stuck with a ball and chain for the rest of your life, you're going to want one that sounds good.